Interview: Jochen Meyer, Vodafone, on hopes and fears in the UPC

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Interview: Jochen Meyer, Vodafone, on hopes and fears in the UPC

The head of IP at Vodafone Germany has spoken about the fear that the UPC will be “imbalanced” between plaintiffs and defendants

Intervieed at Managing IP’s Patent Reform Forum in Munich on September 9, Jochen Meyer said the discussion on forum shopping showed “there are much more options and choices for the plaintiff than the defendant”.

He added: “We expect more activity from NPEs or PAEs or whatever they will be called.”

In the interview, Meyer cited the possibility to get preliminary injunctions as one issues that need to be resolved. “Another thing is the handling of bifurcation cases – whether or not the infringement suit will be stayed until the validity suit has been heard, or make sure they are heard at almost the same time, so we will not see enforceable decisions on infringement whilst the validity of the patent is still in question,” he added.



See all the interviews from Munich on Managing IP’s YouTube channel. Note that all speakers are talking in a personal capacity, and their views are not necessarily those of their employers or clients.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Inès Garlantezec, who became principal of the firm’s Luxembourg office earlier this year, discusses what's been keeping her busy, including settling a long-running case
In the sixth episode of a podcast series celebrating the tenth anniversary of IP Inclusive, we discuss IP Futures, a network for early-career stage IP professionals
Rachel Cohen has reunited with her former colleagues to strengthen Weil’s IP litigation and strategy work
McKool Smith’s Jennifer Truelove explains how a joint effort between her firm and Irell & Manella secured a win for their client against Samsung
Tilleke & Gibbins topped the leaderboard with four awards across the region, while Anand & Anand and Kim & Chang emerged as outstanding domestic firms
News of a new addition to Via LA’s Qi wireless charging patent pool, and potential fee increases at the UKIPO were also among the top talking points
The keenly awaited ruling should act as a ‘call to arms’ for a much-needed evolution of UK copyright law, says Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard
Lawyers at Lavoix provide an overview of the UPC’s approach to inventive step and whether the forum is promoting its own approach rather than following the EPO
Andrew Blattman, who helped IPH gain significant ground in Asia and Canada, will leave in the second half of 2026
The court ordering a complainant to rank its arguments in order of potential success and a win for Edwards Lifesciences were among the top developments in recent weeks
Gift this article